Madras HC junks PIL seeking SIT probe into student's death

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court shot down the public interest litigation filed seeking to constitute a committee to probe the death of a four-year-old kid at a private school in Vikravandi, stating that the litigant could not even wait for a few days and allow the State to act on the case.

The first division bench of Chief Justice KR Shriram and Justice Mohammed Shaffiq dismissed the petition moved by BJP advocate A Mohandoss seeking a special investigation in the death case of the child who fell inside a septic tank at a school in Vikravandi, as withdrawn and also asked the petitioner to file representation before the authority concerned.

Advocate GS Mani, on behalf of the petitioner, submitted that the State police had not properly investigated the case.

Government pleader A Edwin Prabhakar submitted that the investigation was completed, and the police were drafting the charge sheet. He questioned the petitioner's locus standi and submitted that the parents of the victim had already filed a petition in HC seeking a CBI investigation, which was refused by the single judge.

After the submission, the bench refused to constitute a SIT as the PIL was filed within six days of the incident, without granting reasonable time for the probe, held the bench. This is an abuse of the PIL proceedings, wrote the bench and asked the petitioner to file a representation before authority and directed the State to consider if such representation was made.

On January 3, Liyalakshmi of St Mary's Matriculation School in Vikravandi fell into a septic tank at school and was discovered later when she was missing from class. She was rescued and taken to a hospital, where she was declared as brought dead. Police had registered a case against the school principal, the correspondent and the class teacher under section 105 of BNS based on the complaint by the victim's father.

Advocate Mohandoss alleged fault in the police investigation over the death of the school kid and requested the HC to constitute a special investigation team headed by a retired judge along with eminent and efficient officers from the Education and Home departments to ensure a free and fair probe.